Could The USA Lose World Cup Hosting Rights After Iran Fallout?

‎Iran will not be able to participate in the 2026 World Cup after the co-hosts the United States carried out joint airstrikes with Israel that resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to sports minister Ahmad Donyamali.

‎The strikes, launched nearly two weeks ago, have sparked a wider regional crisis in the Gulf.

‎As a result, Iran says it cannot take part in the upcoming tournament.

‎”Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated ‌our leader, under no circumstances ⁠can we participate ‌in the World Cup,” the minister told state ​television.

‎The World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico, and ​Canada from June 11th to July 19th.

‎”Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, ⁠such conditions for ​participation do not exist,” Donyamali said.

‎”Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on ‌us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”

‎In last December’s draw, Iran were placed in a group with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with all three Group G fixtures set to be played in the United States two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

‎Iran was also the only team absent from a planning summit for tournament participants hosted last week in Atlanta by FIFA.

‎Infantino On Iran

‎Infantino said that during a meeting with Trump to discuss preparations for the competition, “we also spoke about the current situation in Iran”. Infantino wrote on Instagram, “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”

‎Iranian officials suggested recently that the country’s participation was in some doubt because of the war and last week Trump said “I really don’t care” whether Iran takes part in the 48-nation tournament being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

‎Iraisre is set to play group games against New Zealand and Belgium in Inglewood, California, and against Egypt in Seattle. If the United States and Iran finish second in their respective groups, they would meet on July 3 in Dallas.

‎Infantino has a close relationship with the US president, who in December was given FIFA’s inaugural peace prize. “We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino said, adding that he thanked Trump “for his support”.

‎What could happen to the USA

‎If the United States declined to host Iran, it could risk losing its status as a FIFA World Cup host. This happened to Indonesia three years ago when it refused to grant entry to Israel for the men’s Under-20 World Cup, eight months after Israel qualified.

‎FIFA cancelled Indonesia’s hosting weeks before the opening match and relocated the tournament to Argentina.